


Next Door Neighbor

by skymageariel



Series: 31 days of The Dragon Prince [3]
Category: The Dragon Prince
Genre: Angst, F/M, Filler, Fluff, Fun, Gen, fall - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26795974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skymageariel/pseuds/skymageariel
Summary: Decision DaY for high school seniors is coming up tomorrow, and Rayla worries Callum choses to leave the place he’s called home for so long.
Relationships: Rayllum (The Dragon Prince)
Series: 31 days of The Dragon Prince [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946767
Comments: 20
Kudos: 52





	Next Door Neighbor

“Up late again?” Rayla asked as Callum dropped his books on the desk next to hers. 

“Sure,” he said, falling into his chair. He sighed and ran a hand down his face, rubbing his eyes. “Auditions are stressing me out.”

“I can tell. You’re shirts not buttoned the right way,” she mentioned, gesturing to the uneven buttons he was sporting. He looked down and groaned.

“That’s embarrassing,” he muttered, fixing each button one by one. 

The bell overhead resounded, and the other students took their seats. Morning announcements were about to begin, but being a senior, Rayla didn’t have any reason to listen. Clubs during lunch, decision day for seniors coming up, interarms due soon, blah, blah, blah, she’d heard it all before. The constant repeating of this half-hearted information was getting old. 

Next to her, Callum shoved his books to the side of his desk and put his head in his arms. She wondered how he did it all. He was pulling a 3.8 GPA with multiple AP classes, plus attending, participating in, and leading countless extracurriculars. If he was asleep on his desk, Rayla wouldn’t wake him. He needed the rest. 

Meanwhile, she was just barely passing her classes. Not that she wasn’t smart, because she was. She just didn’t want to go to college. Sure, she was planning on going to community college just to make Ethari happy, but she had no plans aside from that. 

The announcements came to a close, and their teacher geared up to start the lesson. Callum had signed up for Earth Science, in an attempt to get more science education under his belt. With hopes to be some sort of biologist, (he didn’t know what field yet- don’t ask, he won't shut up about the different fields of biology), he was cramming in as many science classes as possible. He’d convinced Rayla to take the class with him. He’d tell her stuff like “Taking a class outside your comfort zone will broaden your horizons,” but in reality, he just wanted to take a class with Rayla. She didn’t regret taking the class. It was fun. Not her cup of tea, really, but fun.

“Alright class,” the professor began. “Today we’ll be partnering up to complete a new project. You and the person sitting next to you will be testing the trace and strength of an array of rocks and stones, and then determining what element it’s made of.”

Rayla glanced at Callum, who was sleeping steadily on his desk. As the professor handed out materials, she glanced between the two of them.

“I’ll take care of it,” Rayla said, accepting the box of rocks. “He needs the rest.”

“You’re a good friend,” said the professor, raising a brow. The word stung-  _ friend.  _ Callum and Rayla had known each other for years. Friend didn’t even begin to describe it.

A while later, the bell rang to end class, waking Callum with a start. Rayla had gotten halfway through the project- streaks of rock covering the glass panel they’d been given. 

“What? What happened,” he asked, running a hand through his hair. 

“I’ll catch you up tomorrow, don’t worry about it,” Rayla smiled, placing the stones back in their box. She shouldered he backpack, standing to leave.

“Did I fall asleep?” Callum asked, picking up his books.

“Yeah… But I figured you’d need the rest.”

“Oh. Thanks.” He smiled up at her as they moved to leave the classroom. That smile always made her heart flip. 

“It’s a simple project, I could probably finish it at lunch today if you wanted.”

“Uh, no,” Callum interrupted. “I’m not gonna make you do all the work. I don’t have anything going at lunch today, let’s meetup and do it together.”

“Nothing going on at lunch? That’s a first for you,” Rayla chuckled. They reached Callum’s locker, where he took off his bag and started loading it with supplies. 

“Yeah, well, Mrs. Janai is sick today, so, film club is cancelled today.”

“Since when did Mrs. Janai lead film club?”

“Since Amaya got sick of us and pawned the club off to her wife,” Callum said. Everyone knew that the theatre department at Katolis High was run by his aunt Amaya. They often blamed Callum’s successes in theatre on their relationship, but they’d never seen him audition. He was, simply put, a really good actor.

Rayla chuckled as he zipped his bag close. “How long do you think until Mrs. Janai gets sick of the film club kids?”

“Two weeks, max,” he joked as the two walked together down the hall, pausing at the bottom of the stairwell. Rayla’s next class was up a floor, but Callum’s was down one. “Hey,” he said. Rayla’s stomach flipped.

“Hello.”

“Thanks for… taking charge on the science project.” Callum fidgeted with his sleeve as he spoke. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Oh, well, you know.” Rayla smiled. “That's what friends are for.” She hated saying it out loud.

“I couldn’t ask for a better friend than you,” he grinned. In an instant, Callum’s arms wrapped tight around her before he disappeared below the stairwell, causing Rayla’s cheeks to flush pink. She hugged her arms where Callum had touched her, smiling to herself, before going with the sea of students up the stairs. 

—-

At lunch, the two met up in the science room to finish the project. Callum had already gotten the supplies needed, and was sitting on a stool at a lab table, reading the instructions carefully. Rayla came in, just as the bell rang. She sat down on the stool opposite, but Callum didn’t look up from the instrutions.

“Hello?” Rayla teased, waving a hand in his face. “Earth to science boy!”

“Oh, hi!” Callum smiled and looked over at her. When he smiled, Rayla saw his eyes sparkle. “I was just r-“

“-Reading the instructions. Don’t worry about it, it’s really easy. All you have to do is scrape the glass and the tile with the rock, and apparently it tells you what rock it is.”

“Oh, makes sense!” Callum picked up a chunk of something that looked like gold, and dragged it across the white tile. The streak it left was dark, and little pieces broke off. “Well that was easy.”

“Wait what?”

“It’s Pyrite.”

“How do you know that?”

“Pyrite bears a similar appearance to gold, and is often called “fool’s gold”, because it fools you into thinking it’s gold. But real gold is harder, and would have left a yellow streak. This one is brown.”

“Geeze, smartass.”

“Hey!” he laughed, which made the room seem a lot brighter. 

They finished the project quickly, determining the different minerals they had with ease. After they’d packed up all the rocks back into the box, the end of lunch announcements came on loud over the intercoms, the secretary’s voice booming around the school.

_ Hello Katolis Kings nation! Just a reminder for seniors that decision day is tomorrow! Please let your guidance counselor know by lunch tomorrow what your choice college is so they can get started helping you down the right path.  _

“Oh, yeah!” Callum said, excited. “I need to pick a place to go- I’m still stuck between two.”

“Still?” Rayla asked. “Washington State University sounds pretty good,” she tried. “It’s got great programs, in-state tuition, plus it’s just down the road.”

“That’s true, it is much cheaper than New York.” Callum pulled out a notebook and drew a line down the middle, making a note on one side.

Rayla froze. “New York?”

“Yeah, didn’t I tell you?” Callum looked up to see her. “I got accepted!”

“You did!” Rayla exclaimed in false excitement. “Callum, that’s great! And so far away!”

“Yeah,” he sighed, making a note on the opposite side of the page. “It’s between Washington and New York at this point. My parents want me to stay here, but New York has such a good art program-“

“Here! You should stay here,” Rayla interrupted a bit too eagerly. Callum chuckled.

“You’re starting to sound like my mom.”

“It’s just that- you know- I-“ She wanted to tell him that he should stay for her, that he was the only person she had left and that saying goodbye would be too much, but instead she backed away and said, “It’s just a more sound financial decision and stuff.” She trailed off at the end, looking away. 

“This is true.” Callum wrote the note on his paper. “Yikes- I really have no clue.” He held the pros and cons list he’d made out in front of him. “I really wanna go to NYU, but this is my home.” The bell rang overhead, and the two of them stood up, ready to head to their next class. “I don’t know, I’ll figure it out.”

“You’d better. Time is of the essence, now is not the time to be indecisive.” They walked out of the class together, heading down the hall.

“Yeah, I know. It’s just a really big choice. I wanna go to the best school possible, for myself, and y’know, for Ezran. I gotta be a good role model for him, show him that if he’s smart with his choices, he can go to whatever school he wants.”

“That makes sense, I suppose.” The two reached a separation in the hallway. They needed to go their separate ways. “Am I still coming over for stats exam studies?”

“You know it!” Callum smiled as he turned down the other hallway, leaving Rayla behind. She watched as he eagerly made his way to his next class, away from her. 

—-

Callum had his art class next- a standard drawing and painting class. He didn’t need to take it, but it was an easy credit, and helped him build a portfolio. As he sat his stuff down, readying the things he’d need at his workstation, he thought back to his conversation with Rayla. She made a lot of good points as to why he should stay in state. But for whatever reason, he just didn’t want to. New York just felt right. 

He pulled a canvas onto his easel. It was a project he’d been working on for a while. He’d sketched out the perimeters, lined everything perfectly, but now all he had to do was add some color.

Staring at the sketch in front of him, holding an empty palette and a dry paintbrush, he stared at the canvas, unsure of where to start. This painting was going to be special. It was a gift. For Rayla. 

He didn’t want to tell her, because he knew she’d be devastated, but he was really leaning towards leaving. If he could get this painting right, maybe it would soften the blow. On the canvas, sketched in shitty graphite, were their houses side by side. It was a view from across the street, where they waited at the bus stop each morning. For some reason, Callum figured she’d take the news better if she had something from him. 

And it wasn’t like he  _ wanted _ to leave her. They had been best friends for years, they did everything together. And thinking about her, and how her hair was almost never brushed, and how she had her ears pierced but never wore anything more than some fake pearls from a thrift store, and how when she laughed, a small dimple appeared on her right cheek, and-

Callum shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and ignoring the butterflies he felt when he thought about her. They were friends, Rayla said so herself literally that morning. He would be crazy to think they were supposed to be anything more. 

“Fuck it,” he whispered, dumping a light blue color onto his pallete. 

With each stroke of the paintbrush, another layer of guilt settled in his stomach. He would be going to New York, and he would be saying goodbye. He just… didn’t know how to tell her. 

When the bell rang almost an hour later, Callum was hardly close to done. In a split second decision, he pulled out his phone and sent a text to his aunt, asking if it would be okay if he skipped acting class with her to be able to finish an art project. He didn’t wait for an answer. He knew Amaya didn’t care- his grade in the class was perfect. 

“You staying through the next class?” asked Terry, the art teacher. No one knew his last name. He just went by Terry. 

“Yeah- I hope you don’t mind, but I really need to finish this by tomorrow.” Callum didn’t look away from the canvas.

“No worries- You’re always welcome here, Callum.” Terry gave him a pat on the shoulder before making his rounds around the room. Callum let out a breath, focusing again on the painting. It had to be perfect.

—-

That night, at around 6 pm, Rayla rang the doorbell, stats book in hand, ready to study for the exam in a few months. Harrow let her in, and she found Callum in his room, staring at the canvas on his easel with great concentration.

“Whatcha workin’ on?” Rayla asked, making her way over.

“Ah! No!” Callum picked up the canvas, facing it away from her. “I mean- uh- You can’t see it yet, it’s not done!”

“Uh, okay.” Rayla sat on his bed and opened her book. “Chapter nine, right?”

“Yep! Yes, chapter nine,” he replied, still flustered. He turned the easel to face the wall and sat at his desk. “Chapter nine- box and whisker plots.”

“Seems easy enough.”

“Yeah.”

They both began reading, but Callum couldn’t focus. He was leaving, and Rayla had no idea. He glanced over at her, noticing the way her brow furrowed when she read, and his heart did backflips. In the golden light of the sinking sun, she was ethereal.

“Is it just me, or is this really simple?” Rayla said aloud, breaking the silence. 

“It really is,” Callum said. “I already finished the work from class today, and it was really easy.”

“I just messed up actually plotting the box, but after reading it here, it’s pretty self explanatory.” Rayla closed her book and flopped back onto the bed “I personally don’t think we need to study this chapter.”

“I think you’re right.” Callum closed his book and slid it onto his desk. In that moment, he glanced at his easel. 

“So, what’s it gonna be?” Rayla asked, sending Callum into a slight panic. This was it- she was asking if he’d made a college decision yet.

“Uh, what do you mean?” He swiveled in his chair to look at her.

“The painting. What’s it gonna be?”

Callum let out a sigh of relief. “Just some landscape. Nothing special.”

An awkward silence filled the room. Neither of them really knew what to say next. Callum reached into his backpack on the floor and pulled out a book, pretending to read it while he thought of a way to keep the conversation going.

“What are you reading?” Rayla asked, sitting up. Callum smiled.

“ _ The Giver.  _ Have you read it?”

“No,” Rayla scoffed. “I’m not a nerd like you.”

Callum laughed. “It’s a good book, I highly recommend.”

“Tell me about it,” Rayla suggested with a smile.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Okay, so basically-“ Callum stood, book in hand, and began pacing. “There's this society that exists where there’s literally no pain. None. No stress, no emotions other than happy. The world is in black and white, and the people are numb and dull.” As he spoke, his hands gestured and moved like crazy. It was a trait Callum was aware of and a little insecure about, but he just couldn’t help it. He sat down on his bed, right next to Rayla, who was listening intently. “Everyone’s careers are chosen for them. And there’s this one job that’s incredibly rare- it’s the job of learning and experiencing pain. The main character is given this job.” He didn’t realize how close to Rayla he was until he looked over at her. He cleared his throat, blushing as he looked away. He didn’t see Rayla do the same. 

“Sounds interesting,” she said, an air of nervousness in her voice. “When your done, can I read it?”

“Oh, you can take it now if you want!” Callum closed the book, handing it to her.

“Are you sure?” Her cheeks turned red as she took the book with careful hands.

“Yeah, of course! I’ve read it a million times.”

“Wow,” Rayla breathed, flipping through the pages. “Thank you!”

“Hey,” Callum smiled. “That’s what friends are for!” He laughed apprehensively. He faltered on the word “friend”.

“Heh. Yeah.” She avoided eye contact, reading the summary on the back. That’s one thing Callum loved so much about her- she was always willing to try something new. No matter what class Callum took, what book he read, what activity he planned, Rayla was right there with him if he asked. 

“I’m excited for you to read it- it’s my favorite book.” 

“Me too,” Rayla said, glancing out the window. Callum followed where she was looking- the sky. The sun would be gone in half an hour or so, and the colors were fading into darkness.

“Do you wanna go watch the sunset?” Callum asked, catching Rayla by surprise. “If we head to the boardwalk, it’s really pretty against the water.” Rayla stared at him, cheeks pink. “I mean, if you don’t want to, we can stay here, obviously,” he stammered, scratching the back of his head.

“No, no, no, we should go,” Rayla said, standing. “The boardwalk’s only a few minutes away- if we hurry, we could make it!”

“Really?” Callum stood.

“Yeah, let’s go!” Rayla dropped the book in her backpack, slinging it onto her shoulder. Grinning wide, Callum grabbed his car keys on the nightstand, bounding out the door with excitement. 

“Harrow, we’re going out for a bit,” he called as they hurried down the stairs.

“Be back before ten!” Harrow called from somewhere upstairs, but Callum and Rayla were already out the door. 

—-

At the boardwalk, neither of them said anything. They just stood, close together, leaning on the railing, watching the waves lap up against the rock. Orange and pinks blended the sky into a work of art as the sun sank below the horizon, clouds moving quickly with the cool breeze. Glancing over at him, Rayla could find the reflection of the water in Callum’s eyes. The wind rustled his hair ever so slightly- things were peaceful.

“Isn’t this place perfect?” he whispered, breathing deep. 

“Yeah.” Rayla watched the water, yet again. This was home. How could he even consider leaving? “Our home is perfect.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without a view like this.”

“All the more reason to stay, huh?” Rayla offered, though Callum shook his head.

“Nah, I’m not gonna think about that right now.” He leaned back, stuffing his hands in his jacket pockets. “I just wanna be here. Right here, now, with you.”

Despite the chill, heat rose to her cheeks. “With me?” she breathed.

“Yeah,” Callum shrugged. His nose and cheeks were pink, probably from the cold. “There’s no person I’d rather spend my time with.”

Her stomach flipped.  _ With her.  _ He wanted to spend time with her. Looking over at him, as the sun sank below the horizon, she wanted nothing more than to beg him to stay. He was the one person she had left, and watching him leave… There wasn’t a world Rayla wanted to live in if Callum wasn’t there too. She loved him too much to watch him leave her behind.

Rayla froze as that last line replayed in her head.

“What are you thinking about?” Callum asked.

“Hm?”

“I don’t know, you tensed up for a second. What’s up?” He turned to the side, leaning one arm on the railing, facing her.

“Do you really wanna know?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“I don’t want you to go. You should stay in Washington.” She spoke quickly, rushing to spill a thought she’d been harboring for days. Callum’s face paled. 

“I know,” he said. 

“You do?”

“You’ve been trying to convince me Washington State was the better choice all week.”

“And?”

Callum looked down, shaking his head. “I just don’t know.”

“Well, if I can’t give you a real reason- a practical reason, a financial reason, a whatever reason-“ Rayla took a deep breath. “You should stay… for me.”

“Rayla, you know Washington will always be my home, but-“

“I just- I can’t explain it, but I know that you- I- we’d be happier if you stayed.”

“Who’s ‘we’?”

“Us. You and me.”

“Oh.” Callum’s cheeks turned deeper pink. He was definitely blushing, which made Rayla’s heart skip a beat. She stepped closer.

“Think about it- we’ve been friends forever. Partners with every school project, studying together for every exam. It just makes sense.”

“I know,” Callum smiled weakly. “And if I go, we’ll still be friends. We’ll talk every day, I can still help you study-“

“I need you to stay,” Rayla said, staring him in the eye. “This is your home.”

“I know, and it breaks my heart that-“ He froze, biting his lip. 

“Breaks your heart that what?” Rayla asked, taking a step back. Callum looked out across the water, face melted into an emotion Rayla couldn’t quite decipher. Then she realized- “You’ve already decided, haven’t you?” she whispered. Callum hung his head. “You’re going to New York?”

“I didn't know how to tell you-“

“You jerk!” Rayla punched him in the shoulder. “You’re leaving me?”

“I’m not leaving  _ you,  _ I’m just-“

“How could you! How could you just disappear?”

“I’m not gone yet,” Callum reasoned, facing her again. “We still have months before I actually move- we have plenty of time.”

“That time’s gonna run out eventually!”

“Yeah, Rayla, that’s kind of how time works.”

“Just shut up!” she yelled, putting her hands over her ears. 

“Look- we can make this time count, it doesn’t have to be anger and sadness until I go.” Callum held his hands in front of him, but Rayla turned around. “C’mon, don’t be like this,” he said. “Please don’t be mad.” His voice broke. “Please.”

Rayla turned slowly to see that he’d put his head in his hands. Guilt settled in her stomach- this wasn’t any easier for him. She crossed her arms, looking out on the water. The sun had gone, and stars were starting to appear in the sky. Swallowing back the things she could yell, ignoring the insult she could hurl at him, Rayla whispered;

“You can see Saturn.”

Callum lowered his hands, looking into the sky. 

“Venus, too,” he murmured. 

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah,” he said. Out of the corner of her eye, Rayla could see Callum turn to look at her. “Beautiful.”

Rayla sighed. “I’m sorry. You should go to New York.”

“It was a really hard choice-“

“I know.” She took a breath. “I made it harder. I’m sorry.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Callum said. “When I made that pro’s and con’s list in class today, I could only think of one reason to stay.”

“Which was?”

“You.”

Rayla stared at him. “Oh.”

“But then I figured- I can visit you,” he said, turning towards the water again. “We’ll talk every day. We’ll be far, but you’ll still be my b-best friend.”

“Callum-“

“No matter where I go, I know you’ll be there with me, one way or another.” He turned to look at her, not realizing how close they were. Rayla’s breath hitched, as Callum’s eyes danced between hers. In an instant, he closed his eyes and kissed her, and she kissed him back, dissolving into the nighttime air.

When they pulled apart, Callum whispered, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” 

“Me too.”

—-

The next day at lunch, Callum met Rayla in the science room, holding a square canvas. He’d just returned from the guidance room, cementing his choice to go to New York. 

“Skipping film club?” Rayla asked as he sat down next to her.

“Just for today. There’s something important I want to give you.” He placed the canvas face down on the table. Rayla glanced between the canvas and the boy in front of her.

“What’s this?”

“Well…” Callum scratched the back of his head. “I was gonna tell you about New York today, had you not figured it out yesterday. And I figured something like this might make the news easier.” He slid the canvas over to Rayla, who lifted it with trepidation. When she saw the image, her face fell. 

“It’s our houses,” she whispered, blinking back tears. 

“Yeah,” Callum smiled. “Our homes.” Rayla stared at the canvas, silent. “Do you like it?”

“Why are you making this so hard?” Rayla sniffed, using her sleeve to wipe tears off her cheek.

“Hey wait, don’t cry,” he chuckled, voice cracking. “You’re gonna make me cry.” The two laughed, though sadness hinted from behind the sound. They leaned close, shoulders pressed together, each looking at the painting of their houses, next to each other. Callum took Rayla’s hand, squeezing it tight. “This is my home,” he reminded her. “I’ll always be your next door neighbor.” 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> thanks so much for reading! this one was lots of fun to write- i hope you’ll come back tomorrow!


End file.
